Page 83 of Wicked Ambition

Oz stared until he saw her chest move. Not dead. That was definitely a breath, not some post-mortem reaction. To make sure, he carefully felt her neck.

“I have a pulse. It’s slow, but there.”

“Her body appears clear,” Ski said. “We’ll be okay to move her.”

Considering the possibilities, Oz frowned. “Maybe we should call for a medic before we haul her out of here.”

“We’re sitting ducks in this room. Hell, even in this house,” Ski said.

“Copy that.” The kidnappers could return. They abandoned the house in a hurry, but they might come back for Iona.

There were neighbors to worry about, too. All it took was one nosy person to notice something and call it in. “Let's get her to the SUV and bring her somewhere safe. I’ll contact Baggs to meet us there.”

“You got her, or do you want me to carry her?” Ski asked.

“I can—” A sound stopped Oz mid-sentence. He heard movement on the first floor. If it was Ayla, he would fucking reprimand Rusty and approach the captain to have him removed from the team. That would be one screw-up too many.

It could also be the kidnappers returning for Iona.

More sounds reached him. Not Ayla. Probably not the kidnappers. The movements suggested someone was clearing the house the same way he and Ski had.

Softly spoken words filtered up the stairs, and Oz stiffened.

Russian.

Petrova’s men.Fuck.

Chapter 33

Ayla sat frozen after the men went inside the house. When she could move, she glanced at Rusty. His expression told her this situation was bad. Really bad.

She signaled for him to bend down. When he did, she breathed into his ear, “Help them.”

He shook his head, and every bit as quietly said, “My orders are to protect you.” Without another word, he stood, placing his body between her and the house. All she could see was his back.

Her heart pounded wildly, and Ayla took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. If she panicked, she wouldn’t be able to think straight. She might be mad as hell at Oz, but she didn’t want anything terrible to happen to him. Or for her baby to lose its father before it was born.

She took another careful breath.

She didn't know who those men were, but she was certain it was the Russian mobsters. There was an arrogance to the way they boldly parked on the street that spoke to men who didn’t care about what anyone in the neighborhood did. That definitely sounded like gangsters.

Her legs shook badly and Ayla could barely stand. Gripping Rusty’s arm, she went up on her toes. It put her mouth close enough that she could whisper and he’d still hear her. “Can Oz and Ski overcome ten men on their own?”

“Eight men,” Rusty corrected her. “It’s possible.” But his facial expression said it was unlikely.

“If you helped them, would all three of you get killed, or would your presence even the odds?”

There was a long silence before he whispered, “It would help. I’d be coming in behind the men. They’d be caught between the three of us, but the Wizard ordered me to guard you.”

“If I wasn’t here, what would you do?”

“I’d go inside.” There was no hesitation.

Ayla tried to come up with the right words. She knew time was short, that once those men realized they weren’t alone, things would go to hell quickly. How long could the guys hold out? Minutes? Less?

“I’ll stay here,” she murmured. “I won’t make a peep. If one of the mobsters comes over, I’ll hide. Please, I can’t stand by and listen to them kill Oz or Ski. Can you?”

Rusty scowled. “Oz will rip into me if I leave you.”

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